Running Away
by cuz-CM's-awesome
Summary: After trying to stand up to his bully and having it backfire on him Kurt decides that the best thing to do would be to run away. Where will he go and what will everyone that he left behind do without him. Kind of follows Never Been Kissed except Kurt neve
1. Bully

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee and I'm not making any profit from this story. **

**Summary: Sort of follows Never Been Kissed except Kurt never meets Blaine and Karofsky never kisses him. After trying to stand up to his bully and having it backfire on him Kurt decides that the best thing to do would be to run away. Where will he go and what will everyone that he left behind do without him? **

**This story will eventually be Kurt/Will **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy!**

**... **

Kurt flinched as he felt his body hit the wall of lockers. He looked up and watched as Karofsky walked away with a smirk on his face. Kurt was so sick of being pushed around by the jock. "What is your problem?" he shouted before the larger boy could turn the corner.

Karofsky looked back at him with an astounded look on his face, which quickly turned into a glare.

'Damn it' Kurt thought to himself 'think before you open your mouth!'

Karofsky growled "You talking back to me?" as he stalked towards Kurt, his hand balling up into a fist "You want a piece of the fury?"

"The fury?" Kurt asked sceptically, trying to sound strong and not show his fear. He wouldn't give the other boy the satisfaction.

"That's what I named my fist!" Karofsky grunted.

"Well with that level of creativity you could easily become the manager of a rendering plant" Kurt shot back.

"I don't know what that is, but if I find out it's bad, the fury is gonna find you!" Karofsky growled before slamming Kurt against the lockers again and walking away.

Kurt closed his eyes, rested his head against the lockers and breathed deeply. He didn't know how much more he could take of this; it was slowly wearing on him.

Then a hand landed on his shoulder and he violently flinched away. When he opened his eyes he was staring into the worried face of Mr. Schuester.

"Are you alright?" Mr. Schue asked.

Kurt sighed "Yeah, I'm fine" he lied.

Mr. Schue didn't look convinced "Can I see you in my office for a minute Kurt?"

'Great' Kurt thought sarcastically but instead he replied "Yeah sure" and followed his teacher to his office.

Mr. Schue gestured for Kurt to sit down once they were in his office. Then he sat at his desk, across from Kurt. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Kurt sighed again "No, this is my hill to climb alone."

"Can I be honest?" Mr. Schue asked.

Kurt shrugged.

"I think it's getting to you, usually this stuff just rolls right off your back but lately you've been belligerent, angry, pushing people away" Mr. Schue stated.

"Can I be honest with you?" Kurt asked trying to control the annoyance growing in him "You along with everyone else at this school are too quick to let homophobia slide." Then he added, since he had been given the chance to talk, "And your lesson plans are boring and repetitive...I mean boys versus girls, that doesn't challenge any of us."

Schuester shook his head "You mean because I wouldn't let you be on the girl's team like you wanted?"

Kurt was tired of this conversation, Mr. Schue would never truly understand. This conversation wouldn't do him any good if Mr. Schue really wanted to help him he should do something about Karofsky; like have him expelled. Instead of answering his question Kurt stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder. "You were right before Mr. Schue, I am unhappy. And being the only out gay kid at the school gets me down but most of all I'm not challenged here." With that Kurt left Mr. Schue's office.

Schuester stared as his student walked away. He sighed and put his head in his hands, Kurt was a good kid and it saddened him to see the boy so dejected but he didn't know how he could help him.

**...**

Kurt sat down beside Mercedes at their lunch table.

She looked up at him "Where have you been?"

"I was just talking to Mr. Schue" Kurt answered.

Mercedes raised an eyebrow at him in question.

Kurt rolled his eyes "He saw Karofsky push me into a locker and wanted to know if I was okay."

"Oh..." Mercedes said and trailed off "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" Kurt said his annoyance coming back full force.

"Oh that's good" Mercedes said and went back to eating her lunch. She then asked him if he wanted to go shopping on Sunday and proceeded to tell him about a sale they were having at the mall.

Kurt sat and stared past her as he pretended to listen to her.

He felt like he could never talk to her anymore. At least not about the important stuff. She held no answers for him and always answered him with an 'oh' when he told her about how he was being bullied. He understood if she didn't know what to say to him but he just wanted someone to vent to without them acting awkward around him after.

Kurt was depressed, he really needed someone to talk to but he didn't have anyone he could tell about the Neanderthal who had decided, for some unknown reason, to make his life a living hell. And that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that no one seemed to notice or care. Besides Mr. Schue who had seen it happen to him today, no one said anything. If they saw him pushed into a wall or tripped in the halls, they would give him pitying looks but no one ever said or did anything to help him.

Kurt just didn't know what to do.

...

A few days later, Kurt was putting his books away in his locker and getting ready to go home. He had just pulled on his jacket when he went flying face first into his locker. It hurt, really hurt and something inside Kurt snapped as he whipped around slamming his locker closed. He watched as Karofsky disappeared into the boy's locker room.

"HEY!" Kurt yelled loudly as he chased after Karofsky and ran into the boy's locker room "What is wrong with you?"

"Girl's locker room is next door" Karofsky said, not even looking at Kurt.

"What is your problem?" Kurt asked him, not giving up.

"Excuse me?" Karofsky asked staring him down.

"What are you so scared of?" Kurt hissed.

"Besides you sneaking in here to look at my junk?" the jock asked.

"Oh yeah, every straight man's nightmare that all of us gays are out to molest and convert you, well guess what, you're not my type." Kurt yelled.

"Is that right?" Karofsky asked glaring at Kurt.

"Yeah, I don't date chubby boys, who sweat too much and are going to be bald by the time they're thirty" Kurt stated.

Kurt barley realised what was happening until it was too late and Karofsky's fist had collided with his cheek.

Kurt was shocked, he had never actually been punched before, but it didn't stop there.

Karofsky threw Kurt, as hard as he could, against the lockers. Then he punched Kurt hard in the stomach and again in the face.

Kurt let out a whimper and felt himself slide down the lockers where Karofsky kicked him in the ribs a few times.

Karofsky was breathing heavily when he finally stopped "Faggot" he whispered angrily "Stay the fuck away from me!"

Then he left.

Kurt lay on the floor in pain. His lip was split and bleeding. He knew his face would be bruised pretty badly and he hopped that his ribs were just bruised and not broken.

He let tears fall down his face as he tried to stand up.

It hurt to walk and Kurt had to grip the wall in order to stay standing. He thought he should probably go see the school nurse but he couldn't bring himself to do it, he was too humiliated.

He finally got back to his locker and opened it so he could grab his bag and his jacket. He leaned his head against the cool metal of the lockers and breathed out deeply. He heard someone coming down the hall and squeezed his eyes shut. He hoped it was no one he knew.

However a few seconds later, the footsteps stopped and Kurt heard Mr. Schuester's voice call out to him "Kurt, are you okay?"

"Fuck" Kurt whispered to himself, he thought his teacher went home early on Fridays.

"Kurt?" Mr. Schuester repeated.

Kurt let out a breath "Yes?" he answered softly, not turning around.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Mr. Schue asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine" Kurt said clenching his teeth as he felt a wave of pain through his abdomen.

However Mr. Schue didn't leave, instead he walked closer to Kurt and stood right beside him "Look at me" he ordered.

Kurt hissed as he turned his head to look at Mr. Schue. He heard Mr. Schue's intake of breath when he got a look at Kurt's face.

"Oh my God Kurt, what happened?" he asked.

Kurt looked at his feet; he was embarrassed that his attempt to stand up to Karofsky backfired so badly.

"Kurt?" Mr. Schue prompted.

"Karofsky..." Kurt said trailing off but the one word was all Mr. Schue needed to figure out what had happened.

"Oh Kurt, I'm sorry" Mr. Schue said.

Kurt didn't know why the teacher was apologising.

"Here let's get you to the nurse's office" Mr. Schue suggested.

"No, I'm fine." Kurt said.

"Kurt, I'm not letting you walk out of the school like that" Mr. Schue stated.

Kurt could feel his eyes begin to tear "I don't want to go to the nurse; I don't want anyone to know."

Mr. Schue frowned "You can't just let Karofsky get away with this" he said gesturing to his face "And you should be checked out by the nurse, I wouldn't feel comfortable sending you home like that. Don't argue with me Kurt, we need to get you to the nurse."

Kurt's shoulders slumped and he closed his locker. He held onto the wall for support and began walking to the nurse's office.

Mr. Schue's eyes widened as he realised how badly Kurt was hurt, the boy could barely walk. He quickly moved towards him and placed his arm around Kurt's back and under his arm so that Kurt could lean on him.

Kurt hated to be so helpless but he wasn't going to push Mr. Schue away because he did find it easier to walk. He stumbled along beside Mr. Schue until they got to the nurse's office, they didn't meet anyone in the halls and Kurt guessed they had all already gone home. He wondered where Karofsky had run off to.

Mr. Schue helped him into a chair and then went to grab the nurse.

Kurt closed his eyes and let the tears run freely down his face. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid. Why had he pushed Karofsky like that, why did he think that the bully would back down if he stood up to him. He was so stupid. And now Mr. Schue would make him tell the principle, and all he would do would be to give Karofsky a slap on the wrist just like always but then Karofsky would hate him even more. He would come after him even more. Kurt knew how situations like these worked. Karofsky would never stop and Kurt would never feel safe.

Kurt heard Mr. Schue clear his throat and he looked up at his teacher.

He was holding out his hand and had that same worried look on his face. "The nurse said she will see you now."

Kurt nodded and let Mr. Schue help him up.

After the nurse had checked him over, shaking her head the whole time, she stitched up his cut lip and gave him and icepack for his eye. "Thankfully, your ribs are only bruised and not broken, you'll need to rest up this weekend and take it easy. Hopefully by Monday you'll be fine. The swelling around your eye and lip should go down in the next few hours as long as you continue to apply the ice. And the bruising should fade in the next two weeks."

Kurt took in the information with a sigh.

Mr. Schue thanked the nurse and helped Kurt out of the office.

"We should go see Principle Figgins" Mr. Schue said.

"I...please can we wait until Monday" Kurt said thinking quickly "I just want to go home and rest."

Mr. Schue looked like he was going to protest but when he took one look at the pleading look on Kurt's face he sighed and agreed that they would go to the principle on Monday.

"Thanks Mr. Schue" Kurt said and he began stumbling away.

"Wait" Mr. Schue said "Aren't you going to call you dad or someone to come pick you up."

"I can't" Kurt said "He went away for the weekend with Carole, they're staying at some resort, they left this morning. I don't have anyone else who can pick me up."

"So you're just going to walk home, when you can barely stand?" Mr. Schue asked sceptically "How far do you live?"

"A few blocks" Kurt answered with a shrug, not meeting his teacher's eyes.

"A few? How many is a few?" he asked.

Kurt sighed, "Like eight blocks."

Mr. Schue shook his head "I'll give you a ride home" he said.

"You don't have..." Kurt began but was cut off.

"Yes I do have to, you want to get home as soon as you can and I won't be able to relax until I know you got home safely. I'm just going to grab my bag from my office, wait here and I'll be right back. Okay?" Mr. Schue asked.

"Okay" Kurt agreed reluctantly.

**...**

Kurt looked out the window of Mr. Schue's car and thought about what he was going to do. There was no way he could tell Principle Figgins, his life would be ruined if he did that. There was no way that anyone could protect him twenty four/seven if Karofsky didn't get expelled and he probably wouldn't. Students got into fights all the time, especially boys and they never got expelled. They sometimes got suspended but most of the time they just got a slap on the wrist and were told not to do it again. Or possibly Figgins would suspend Karofsky from football as a punishment and then Kurt would definitely be dead.

Kurt knew that he wouldn't be able to persuade Mr. Schue from not telling the principle; he thought it was the right thing to do and he just wanted to help, Kurt knew that but it definitely wouldn't help him. The only thing he could think of was to not show up on Monday, then maybe Schuester wouldn't tell or if he did at least Kurt wouldn't be around for Karofsky to beat up.

Of course that only gave him a day. He guessed he could transfer to a different school but the only two that he could think of in the area were expensive to get into. One being a private school and the other was too far anyways. It would take him at least an hour and a half to get to it.

And of course if he did want to transfer he would have to tell his dad and he didn't want to trouble him with this. He didn't want his dad to have to pay for him to go to a different school. Kurt had been saving up, since he worked at the mall every Sunday thru Thursday after school if he didn't have glee. He also had a few thousand dollars that his Grandmother had left him when she passed away but he knew that his father would never let him pay for the tuition.

That left him with one option. He would have to run away. The option physically made his heart hurt when he thought of leaving his dad and his friends from the glee club behind. But he couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't live in fear anymore. In his mind this was the only option he had. He would run away and get a job somewhere else. Maybe he would go to school or maybe he would try to make it big in Hollywood or something. He knew he had the talent to make it. He would use the money he had and buy a bus ticket west, he wasn't sure exactly where he would go yet but he would figure it out this weekend and leave before his dad and Carole got back. He'd try to find a job and he would work on living his dream.

Some day he would come back, if only it was just to see his dad, he would come back but for now he couldn't live here anymore. He just couldn't.

"Kurt" Mr. Schue said and the boy was pulled out of his thoughts "Is this it?"

Kurt looked out his window again and realised that they had in fact arrived at his house. Then he turned back to Mr. Schue and realised that it might be the last time he ever saw his teacher. He felt sad when the thought crossed his mind; he might sometimes act like he didn't like Mr. Schue but that wasn't true. Glee had helped Kurt out with a lot of things in his life; he never would have made friends like Mercedes or Finn without it and Mr. Schue had always been there for him.

"Thank you Mr. Schue" Kurt said keeping the sadness he felt out of his voice "Seriously, you're a great teacher. You really care about your students and we are lucky to have you."

Mr. Schue furrowed his brow "Thanks Kurt, I always kind of wondered whether you liked me or not."

Kurt almost laughed, he could really act like an ass sometimes "Ah sorry about that, I guess it might seem like that sometimes but I think you're a great teacher. I've always been grateful that you took over glee; it's really helped me out."

"Well that means a lot to me to know that it's helped you" Mr. Schue said "Will you be alright from here?"

"Yeah, I think so" Kurt said, almost not wanting to get out of the car yet.

"Okay well just in case" Mr. Schue said as he reached behind him to grab a notebook and pen from his briefcase, "Take this and if you need something this weekend, such as your ribs start to hurt worse, give me a call." With that Mr. Schue scribbled his number on the pad of paper, then ripped off a sheet and gave the boy his number. "You know, in case your dad can't back to take you to the hospital."

Kurt felt his eyes well up with tears at the gesture but he blinked them away. "Thanks" he said again as he took the number and got out of the car.


	2. Leaving

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R (Really some input on how the story is going, what you like, what you think I could change, would be nice. Since this is my first Glee fic I'd like to know what you think XD) **

**Enjoy! **

**... **

It was Saturday night and Kurt sat, propped up by pillows, on his bed with his laptop resting on his lap. He was trying to plan where he was going to go from Lima. He had already decided that he would make his way to the Lima bus station the next day, using a cab to get there, but he hadn't yet decided where he would go. He knew he wanted to go west, so that he was heading towards LA and he hoped some day he would get there but he knew for now he had to first get a job and make some money.

He had been resting since Friday night and his ribs already felt better. He knew that they would still be sore for a few days, if not weeks, but he could deal with that. He planned to get a good night's sleep tonight and then wake up early and start packing. He had already decided to only take two bags, one suitcase and a carrying bag, which was going to be really hard for him because he was having trouble deciding what to take and what to leave behind.

But he would make himself decide, he knew he could do this. It was going to be hard but he would do it.

Just then the phone rang; Kurt reached over to grab the cordless, only wincing slightly as it sent a twinge of pain through his chest.

"Hello" Kurt answered.

"Hey Kurt, how's everything going?" Kurt heard his father's voice on the other line and he gripped the phone tightly.

"It's good, how's your weekend?" Kurt asked.

"Really fun, Carole and I are having a great time. What have you been up to?" Burt asked.

"Not much, just doing homework and such" Kurt answered.

"Well that's good; I was just calling to check in. I'll be home tomorrow night by six, so I'll see you then?" Burt asked.

"Yeah" Kurt answered.

"Great, well have a good night..." Burt began but Kurt cut him off sensing that he was going to hang up.

"Dad..." Kurt began; he didn't know what he wanted to say. He didn't know when he would hear his father's voice again and he didn't want him to go, but he also didn't want to alert him to the fact that something was up.

"Yeah bud?" Burt asked.

"I just...wanted to say that I'm glad you're having a good time" Kurt quickly said, it was the first thing that had come to his mind.

"...Thanks" Burt said uncertainly "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, no I'm fine. I'll see you when you get back, I love you dad" Kurt said starting to tear up again.

"I love you too buddy, see you tomorrow" Burt said and then hung up.

Kurt hung up the phone and let his head drop into his hands as he cried.

His dad was his rock. For a long time he was the only friend Kurt had had and he had always accepted Kurt no matter what. Even if it was hard for him, even if people spray painted 'fag' on their door, even if he got dirty looks from people, he never turned his back on Kurt. Kurt wasn't sure how he would have made it this far if it wasn't for his dad and now he might not see him again for a long time. He knew it would hurt his father when he left but he hoped that in time his dad would understand why he had to go.

Kurt wiped the tears from his face; he had to stay strong.

He put his computer on the floor and set his alarm, he had to get some rest if he was going to leave tomorrow.

**...**

Kurt had finally finished packing, it had taken him forever but he had gotten it done. He almost laughed at the fact that even though he had packed all the clothes he could possibly fit in his suitcase, he hadn't even packed half of his clothes.

He had decided to take his laptop, his ipod, his wallet, any important identification that he might need such as his passport and his phone though he was going to keep it turned off since he knew he could be tracked with it, he was mainly taking it in case of emergencies.

It was only nine o-clock when he was done packing and now he only had to write a letter for his dad. He knew this would be the hardest part.

He sat down at the table in the kitchen and took out a pen and piece of paper.

_Dad, _

_I know this may come as a shock to you and I know you will probably be disappointed in me. It hurts me to know that I will be letting you down but I just can't do it anymore. I can't live with the bullying or the fear that every time I turn the corner someone will be waiting for me. I know if you were here you would tell me not to worry and that you would protect me and I believe that you would do everything you could to do so but no one can protect me while I'm at school. _

_I'm so sorry it has come to this, I really love you dad. You have honestly been the best dad that anybody could ever have in the world. I want you to know that it kills me to leave you behind but this has nothing to do with you. You've been a great dad and I will always love you for that. _

_I wish I could stay but I really can't. _

_Please stay healthy while I'm gone. Remember to eat healthy and keep yourself fit! _

_Also take care of Finn and Carole and let them take care of you. _

_Please tell the Glee club that they really meant a lot to me and I'm sorry I had to leave. _

_I hope to come back someday; I just can't stay here right now. Please don't come looking for me, go on with your life and be happy. I want you to be happy. _

_Thank you so much for being there for me every day of my life, I love you so much dad and I hope to see you again soon. _

_Love Kurt. _

It had taken Kurt a couple attempts to write something acceptable but he finally came up with something he thought was okay.

He had to wipe a few tears away as he folded it up and placed it in an envelope; he then sealed it and wrote 'Dad 'on the front. Then he went and left it on his bed downstairs. He wanted to get a head start and hopefully his dad wouldn't find the letter until later that evening.

Kurt grabbed his suitcase and used his home phone to call a cab. As he waited he did a double check to make sure he had everything he needed. Before he left he remembered to grab a framed photo of himself and his dad that had been taken last Christmas. He hugged it to his chest and then put it in his bag.

Kurt heard a horn honking outside and realised the cab had gotten there. He was just about to leave when he saw a folded up piece of paper on the table in the front hall. It was the piece of paper Mr. Schue had given him with his number written on it. Quickly Kurt reached over, grabbed it and put it in his pocket. He didn't know why he was taking it since he definitely would not be calling Mr. Schue but for some reason it made him feel better to have it.

Then he was out the door, into the cab and heading for the bus terminal.

**...**

It smelled like pee and vomit. Kurt had to hide his nose in the sleeve of his shirt in order to keep himself from being sick.

The bus terminal of Lima was a shady place and Kurt couldn't wait to get out of it. He had finally decided on his destination. He was going to go to Chicago, it was a six and a half hour bus ride and it cost seventy dollars.

Kurt had gone to a bank machine that was close to the bus station and taken out a fair bit of money. Normally he didn't like to walk around with a lot of money on his person but once he got to Chicago he didn't want to have to use his bank card. He did not want to be found.

Kurt had a pair of big sun glasses on and a hat that, while still being stylish, covered most of his hair. He didn't want to be recognised. Kurt paid for his ticket and then waited for the bus; it was supposed to be there in ten minutes.

When it finally got there, Kurt put his bag away in the storage part under the bus, and then he took one last look at Lima and got on the bus. He sat all the way at the back and thankfully, even though it was a pretty full bus, no one sat beside him.

He was finally on his way.

**... **

"Kurt" Burt called out when he got home at six thirty "We're home." He would have been home sooner but he had gone to Carole's house first to pick up Finn so they could have dinner here.

He had been calling the house phone and Kurt's cell phone all day but he hadn't been able to get a hold of Kurt.

"Where is that kid?" he asked aloud, he turned and looked at Carole and Finn shaking his head.

"Maybe he's down stairs" Carole suggested "He probably has the sound on his ipod turned up as loud as it can go and he just can't hear you."

"You're probably right" Burt said with a smile "I'm just going to run upstairs and put my stuff away. Would you mind going downstairs and telling Kurt we're home?" he asked Finn.

"Yeah sure" Finn said making his way towards the basement.

Finn ran downstairs but Kurt wasn't there. He quickly checked the bathroom but it was empty. "Huh..." Finn said looking around, he wondered where Kurt was.

The room looked like someone had left in a hurry. The closet door was open and there were shirts hanging out, some were on the floor. That wasn't like Kurt at all; he was a very neat kid.

Finn was about to go upstairs and tell Burt that Kurt wasn't here but something on the bed caught his attention. It was envelope and it had Burt's name on it. He picked it up and turned it around in his hands. The writing looked like Kurt's, well who else's was it going to be?

Finn hurried upstairs, Burt was already back in the kitchen when he got there.

Burt looked at him and gave him a questioning look.

"He wasn't down there," Finn said as he handed Burt the envelope "but this was on his bed."

Burt took it from him a furrowed his brow. He opened the seal and began to read the letter. "Oh my god" he breathed out sitting down at the kitchen table.

"What is it?" Carole asked coming up behind him and reading the letter over his shoulder. She gasped at what she read and placed a hand on Burt's shoulder, squeezing it.

"What?" Finn asked worried "What does it say?"

Burt finished reading the letter, ignoring Finn's question. When he was done he put his head in his hands and shook his head "No, no, no" he muttered "How could he have...no."

"What?" Finn asked again, a bit panicky now, what had Kurt done?

His mother looked up at him, her eyes tearing "Kurt's run away" she said.

Finn's eyes widened, he felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Kurt couldn't have run away.


	3. Gone

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

**...**

Kurt pushed open the door to the motel room with a feeling of distain.

'Milestone Motel' wasn't the nicest looking place but it was cheap and Kurt had decided it would have to do until he could find a more permanent place. Plus, on the bright side, no one had protested him being there or asked about his age. The man at the front desk had been happy to take his money and shove the room key into his hand.

Kurt had been in Chicago for only about an hour now. After the bus had pulled into Chicago terminal Kurt had found an information booth and looked up places to stay. Milestone Motel had been pretty close to the bus terminal and down town Chicago, as well as it had been in his price rang.

Kurt had just wanted to get somewhere quickly. He knew that if he waited too long he would be wandering around Chicago at night with an expensive suitcase and he didn't think that would be a good idea.

Kurt closed the door behind him and locked it. He looked around, inspecting the furniture and the bed, the towels in the bathroom and the shower itself. He looked at the linens on the bed to check if they were clean. All in all the place wasn't so bad. It looked pretty comfortable and nothing jumped out at him as outright dirty.

Kurt sighed and sat down on the bed. He had had a long day and he was already homesick. He had started wondering on the bus if he had really made the right decision by leaving. Maybe if he had stayed his dad would have been able to protect him. But he couldn't have done that to his dad, complained and expected his dad make it all better. No he had done the right thing and even though it may hurt now he knew in the long run he would be happy with the decision he had made.

Kurt pulled out his pyjamas and changed, he was so tired. He just wanted to lie down and rest before he decided what he would do next.

**...**

Will had gotten to the school that Monday morning at seven, he had realised during the weekend that he hadn't told Kurt to meet him at his office before classes. He had been planning to but then Kurt had said that whole thing about how he liked Will as a teacher and Will had completely forgot to tell him.

So at the moment, Will was sitting in his office watching as the students passed by the glass window. His office was really close to the main doors of the school and he knew that if Kurt came in that way he would be able to spot him before the boy could get far.

He had a feeling that, judging by Kurt's attitude on Friday, he would try to sneak past him so that he didn't have to go see Principle Figgins. However Will wasn't going to let that stand, Kurt had the right to feel safe while he was at school and Will planned to do something to make that possible.

Will was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Finn and Burt Hummel, Kurt's dad, walk past his office window. He stood up quickly and followed them. He had thought about calling Mr. Hummel this morning but had decided to wait until they had talked to principle Figgins first. He guessed that Kurt had decided to bring his dad so they wouldn't have to call him. It was smart thinking on Kurt's part, though it was weird, Will didn't see Kurt anywhere.

"Mr. Hummel" he called catching up to Kurt's dad.

Burt turned around and Will almost stepped back when he got a look at his face. He had dark circles under his eyes and they were bloodshot, almost like he had been crying. He was frowning at Will and he didn't say anything. Will noticed that Finn didn't look too great either.

Will shook off the weird feeling he got and plunged onward "I'm guessing Kurt told you about what happened on Friday. Are you here to see principle Figgins?"

Will actually did take a step back when he saw the dark look that crossed over Burt Hummel's face and how his fists clenched "What happened on Friday?" he almost growled.

"What?" Will asked shocked "Kurt didn't tell you?"

"No," Burt said flatly "No he didn't but he did leave me a nice letter, telling me how he was sorry but how he couldn't deal with everything anymore."

Will's stomach dropped and a sick feeling came over him, had Kurt...oh god had Kurt committed suicide?

"He ran away" Burt continued and Will felt relief flood through him. It was short lived though when Burt continued. "Now can you tell what the hell could have happened that would have made my son feel so upset that he would run away?"

Will looked around; they were starting to draw a crowd. He gestured for Burt and Finn to follow him to his office.

After they were seated Will began telling them about the events of that past Friday.

When he was finished Burt jumped up and glared at Will, his body tense in anger "And you just let him go home like that? Even though he had told you that he was going to be home alone all weekend? Why wouldn't you have gone to the principle right after it happened?"

Will shook his head sadly, he felt guilty "That's what I should have done and I'm sorry I didn't but when I suggested it Kurt begged me to wait until today. I thought he was just tired, I had no idea he was going to run away."

"What kind of teacher are you?" Burt shouted "Couldn't you see he wasn't in his right mind?"

"No I couldn't actually" Will said "He was upset yes, but that was to be expected after what had happened to him. I'm very sorry about this; I would have never thought Kurt would run away. He's one of my best students and I only want what is best for him."

"You should damn well be sorry" Burt shouted "I'll have your job for this!"

"Wait up Burt" Finn said speaking up for the first time "It's not Mr. Schue's fault. I know Mr. Schue and he really does care about us, he would never have wanted anything bad to happen to Kurt. And Kurt definitely wouldn't have wanted him fired for it."

Burt slumped back into his chair "I'm sorry" he whispered "Finn's right, I just...I can't believe he's gone. I'm sure you had Kurt's best interest at heart."

Will watched as Burt broke down.

"Its fine, I understand" Will said. He looked between Finn and Burt "Have you guys contacted the police?"

"Yeah" Finn said "They said they would look for him. They're going to do like a credit check or something to check if he's used his bank card at all. They already tired tracking his cell phone but its like turned off."

"We were just coming in to see if the school knew what had happened on Friday" Burt explained "I know Kurt wouldn't have run away unless something drastic had happened to him and now that I know...I should have been home this weekend. I should have been there for him."

"You couldn't have known this was going to happen" Will said trying to comfort the other man.

Burt shook his head "But I talked to him...I talked to him before he ran away. I thought something was up, he sounded strange when I talked to him but I dismissed it. If I had come home sooner I could have stopped him."

Will and Finn sat there awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. Though, what Burt had said had made him think. He said Kurt had sounded weird when he had talked to him. Will thought back to right before Kurt had gotten out of his car. Had Kurt been trying to say goodbye to him for the last time? He should have realised it, Kurt didn't normally throw out compliments like that, especially when he was angry. Will should have realised that Kurt wasn't acting like himself for a reason, he should have realised and done something. Now who knew where Kurt was or if he was safe. A kid of only eighteen shouldn't be fairing in the world by himself. There were a lot of creeps out there and Will was pretty sure that Kurt didn't have the greatest street sense.

Will was pulled from his thoughts when Finn and Burt stood up. "We should be going, Finn has to get to class and I'm going to talk to the principle to tell him of the situation. I want this Karofsky kid punished for what he did to Kurt."

Will nodded, "I'll come with you" he said standing up and following Burt and Finn out.

**...**

Finn stared at the floor in glee club, he had been moody all day and after he had blown up at Puck for some random comment he had made, everyone had backed off.

Well everyone expect Rachel of course.

She was intent on finding out what was wrong with her boyfriend but he wasn't talking. He had completely shut himself off.

"Finn are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" she stated for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Finn grunted something inaudible and Rachel crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

Will took that moment to walk in.

The glee club noticed that he was looking kind of off.

"What's wrong Mr. Schue?" Rachel piped up.

"What?" Will asked looking at his students; he had been in a daze all day, worrying about Kurt. He looked over at Finn and happened to catch his eye, "Nothing's wrong" Will stated, he didn't think it was his place to tell them what had happened.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked "You don't look like yourself."

Will held back a sigh; sometimes the girl could be so annoying "Yes I'm sure. Now for today I was thinking we could go over the songs that we chose for sectionals."

Rachel clapped her hands in excitement "Great" she said hopping off her chair "I was thinking about our choices last night and the best idea ever came to me. I was thinking that we should..."

"Hey, where's Kurt?" Mercedes asked cutting Rachel off.

Rachel was annoyed about being interrupted but now that she had been clued in on the fact that Kurt wasn't there she began to wonder where he was. Kurt never missed practice.

"I don't know" Quinn said "I haven't seen him all day."

"Maybe he's sick or something" Artie suggested.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Finn.

He looked up at them and shook his head. He still couldn't believe Kurt was gone. He had been like a brother to Finn, even though they had a rough time last year Kurt had grown on him during the summer. He had started to feel like he had a real family. Every Friday he and his mom would have dinner with Kurt and his dad and Finn liked it. He liked having Kurt around and now he was gone.

"So you don't know where Kurt is?" Santana asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Finn looked at everyone again, he knew he would have to tell them sometime, that they would find out sooner or later but he still found that he was having trouble saying it out loud. Finn looked at Mr. Schue for support and Mr. Schue nodded at him.

Swallowing Finn stated "Kurt ran away."

"What?" Mercedes said jumping to her feet.

Everyone else looked just as shocked as she did, they were all speechless.

"He ran away" Finn said again "He left us a letter that said he was tired of the bullying and that he couldn't live here anymore. We didn't find it until last night and by that time he was already long gone."

Mercedes looked like she was going to protest but Rachel found her voice before she could. "You mean he's not coming back?"

"That's what his letter said" Finn began "Of course we aren't just going to sit around and do nothing. The police are already helping us to try and find him."

Rachel looked pissed "How could he do this to us?" she said totally ignoring everyone's angry looks. "He knows sectionals are coming up and how important they are to us. I can't believe he would leave at a time like this!"

There was complete silence in the room after she had finished her little rant.

Finn glared at her "I can't believe you" he stated angrily "This is about Kurt not you or stupid sectionals. This is serious, who knows where Kurt is right now or if he is okay. You're just...unbelievable! You don't care about anyone but yourself."

With that Finn turned around and marched away angrily.


	4. New Beginning

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

Finn made his way out of the school, intent on heading to the Hummel home; he wanted to know if the police had found anything. Finn pulled out his keys and was about to make his way to his car which was in the parking lot, when he heard laughing. He turned and saw a bunch of football guys hanging around the side of the school. Karofsky was one of them. Finn felt rage overtake him; he clenched his fists and made his way over to the football players.

"Hey Karofsky" he called and the bigger boy turned to look at him.

"What?" Karofsky asked dumbly.

"This" Finn said and then he swung his first around so that it connected with Karofsky's jaw.

Karofsky stumbled back slightly, not expecting the blow. When he had recovered from his shock he growled and grabbed Finn by his shirt. "What the fuck was that for Hudson?"

"That's for hurting my brother" Finn hissed, the word 'brother' rolling off his tongue without a thought.

Karofsky looked confused for a second "You don't have a brother" he said.

"Kurt" Finn clarified and shoved at Karofsky's chest.

"That Fag isn't your brother," Karofsky stated "Why would you want that fairy as your brother?"

Finn glared at Karofsky for his offensive description of Kurt and instead of answering the other boy's question, he punched him again.

Karofsky growled and punched Finn back.

Soon they were in an all out fight.

Karofsky might have been big but he wasn't as fast as Finn and he had gained the upper hand in seconds. For a moment it looked like he was going to win the fight but then the other jocks that had been surrounding Karofsky started throwing punches of their own.

They grabbed Finn, pulled him away from Karofsky and pinned him down. Karofsky got up looking bloody and bruised. He huffed over to Finn and let him have it.

Karofsky began hitting Finn but then they all heard a whistle being blown. Karofsky backed up and the other jocks let him go. Finn looked up to see Sue Sylvester standing over him and yelling at the other boys. Finns head was pounding and he let himself fall back so that his head was against the pavement.

Finn watched as the jocks glared at Sue while she yelled at them and then ran off a few minutes later.

Sue looked down at him "Franken Teen, can you stand up?"

Finn groaned but pushed himself too his feet. He wasn't hurt too badly; he was just going to be sore for a while.

"I know you aren't the brightest blub in the utility closet but I thought even you would have smarts enough not to take on the whole football team" Sue said.

"Uh yeah" Finn said "That was a pretty stupid decision I guess."

"You don't say" Sue stated sarcastically.

Finn shook his head.

"Though I really don't care, I am required by law since I am a teacher and all, to inquire if you are okay?" Sue continued.

"Yeah I'm fine" Finn said "Thanks."

Sue looked him over once more and then turned without saying another word.

Finn looked around, realized that he was alone and quickly made his was to his car.

**...**

Kurt had spent practically all day walking around downtown Chicago. He had woken up at ten, got ready for his day, grabbed a few of his resumes he had printed off before he left Lima and left his motel room to go job hunting.

But so far he was having no luck.

He knew that it probably had something to do with his resume since it really wasn't the best of resumes because Kurt hadn't been able to put down any of the places he had actually worked before because he was afraid that someone would be able to retrace his past if he did. So instead he had just put down a bunch of volunteering crap he had done without any specific names or dates.

He had mainly looked at clothes shops but none of them were hiring. By lunchtime, when Kurt had stopped at a Tim Hortons and gotten himself a sandwich, he was feeling dejected. He had left feeling hopeful but now he wasn't so sure if he would ever find a job.

Kurt knew that he was probably being too dramatic, he just had to keep trying. So looking at his map of Chicago, he decided to hop on the subway and check out Water Tower Place, one of the bigger malls in Chicago.

He was sure to find something there.

**... **

Finn had gotten to the Hummel household fairly quickly. He parked his car and then hurried to the door. Finn knocked and then waited for a moment, when the door finally opened his mom was standing behind it.

She took one look at him a gasped "Finn! Oh my gosh, what happened to you?"

Finn shrugged "I had a little run in with Karofsky. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me! Oh Finn you know you shouldn't fight violence with violence, it doesn't solve anything. What were you thinking?" his mom asked as she pulled him inside and sat him down at the kitchen table.

She began fussing over him, shaking her head at his torn, bloody shirt and getting the first aid kit from the bathroom so that she could clean the cuts on his face.

"I was thinking that my brother wouldn't have felt the need to run away if it wasn't for that creep" Finn growled.

Carole stopped what she was doing for a moment when she caught Finn's use of the word brother and felt a warm burst of pride wash over her. She had to force herself not to smile. "I know this is hard for you Finn," she said "It's hard for all of us but resorting to violence is never the answer."

Finn hissed as his mom dabbed the cut on his forehead with a cotton ball that had been soaked in antiseptic. When she was done she placed a Band-Aid over it and Finn let out a sigh.

"I know it was wrong mom but I…I'm just really worried about Kurt" Finn muttered.

His mom looked at him sadly "I know baby, we all are."

"Did the cops find anything?" Finn asked.

His mom sat down with a sigh and patted his knee, "They checked his credit cards and found that he made a withdrawal yesterday at the bank machine near the bus station. They are out there now asking around to see if anybody saw him."

"That's better than nothing I guess" Finn stated.

"It is," Carole said "it's a good lead, we're hopeful."

"Where's Burt now?" Finn asked.

"He's out back in the shop, he's been there all day," Carole explained standing up, "I was actually just going to take him some coffee."

She walked over to the counter and picked up the travel mug she had left there before Finn knocked on the door.

Finn stood up too and walked over to his mom, he held out his hand to her "Here let me take it to him" he offered.

"Oh okay," his mom said handing him the mug "I'll start on making dinner."

Finn nodded and then made his way out to the Garage.

…

Kurt was dejectedly making his way back to his motel.

The second part of his day had been worse than the first. It seemed like absolutely no one was hiring and he was tired of getting that fake smile that mangers threw at people, after they made empty promises to get back to them.

He had used up all the copies of his resume and his feet hurt from walking all day.

To make things worse, it had started raining and the cold droplets of water were soaking through his clothes and chilling his skin, and he still had five more blocks before he got back to the motel.

As Kurt came to a set of lights he tripped and fell forward, landing on his knees. He hissed in pain and looked down to see that his shoelace had become undone. Kurt grumbled as he began to tie it up.

He was starting to think that if things didn't start changing for him in the next few weeks then he would have to shamefully make his way back to Lima, either that or become a homeless person.

When Kurt had finished tying his shoe he looked up and frowned when he saw the building across the street. It looked like something out of the movies; in fact it reminded him exactly of the houses that hobbits lived in, in Lord of the Rings. It was shaped like a mushroom and was a pale brownish colour.

Kurt waited for the light to turn green and then he limped across the street and over to the building.

When he got closer he realized why it looked so weird, it was the famous Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant that he had heard about that was famous for its amazing cheesecakes, obviously.

Kurt looked at the light coming from the oval shaped windows and was surprised to see a 'help wanted' sign there.

Kurt wondered if he should go in, he knew he looked a mess and he didn't have any resumes left, plus he didn't really fancy working in the food industry but he figured that if he was even able to get the job that it would be better than nothing.

Kurt tried to straighten his wet wrinkled clothes, and he patted down his hair before walking forward, doing his best not to limp, and pulling the door to the restaurant open.

…

Finn walked into the Garage and looked around for Burt. He saw the man's feet sticking out from underneath a van he was working on.

Finn walked over to the van "My mom made you some coffee and I told her I'd bring it out to you" he stated in greeting once he standing next to Burt's feet.

Burt mumbled something he couldn't hear but then Burt slid out from underneath the car and stood up, wiping is hands on his pants as he did so "Thanks" he said taking the coffee from Finn.

Finn shrugged "No problem."

Burt took a sip of the coffee and then looked Finn over with a frown, taking in the boy's cut lip, ripped shirt and Band-Aid over his eye. "What happened to you?" he asked.

Finn looked at the ground and shuffled his feet, worried that he would be told off again. "I gave Karofsky what he had coming to him" Finn mumbled looking away.

Instead of the scolding he had been expecting Finn felt a hand land on his shoulder as Burt grinned at him and patted his back "That a boy, wish I could have knocked some sense into him myself."

Finn grinned sheepishly at his feet "My mom wasn't so pleased."

"Oh…right," Burt said, his eyes flicking to the door of the shop before turning back to Finn "well of course fighting isn't the answer…next time you should use your words and not your fists…but since you can't take it back now, I want you to know I'm proud of you."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck with his hand "Uh…thanks."

The room grew silent for a moment before Burt cleared his throat and turned back to the van he had been working on "Would you like to give me a hand?" he asked.

Finn shrugged "Yeah sure," he answered thinking it would take his mind off things.

…

Kurt stood to one side as he took in the atmosphere of the Cheesecake Factory. It was warm and bright and he could hear the low buzz of people talking. Kurt got the impression that it was quite a cheerful place.

He had only been waiting a few minutes when a guy, who looked about the same age as him, who Kurt guessed was the host considering the black uniform he was wearing, quickly walked up to him.

"Sorry for the wait," he said "we're short a few people tonight."

The boy was a bit taller than Kurt and he had short, wavy black hair, intense brown eyes and a grin that could brighten up the dark, rainy night outside.

"I noticed," Kurt said putting on the best smile he could manage after a day like the one he had had "I saw your help wanted sign, that's why I came in."

"Oh," the boy said "well I'll just get you an application form then."

The taller boy moved to the host's station and pulled out an application form for him "My name's Blaine by the way" he said.

"Kurt," Kurt stated holding out his hand to take the form "thanks." Kurt didn't move away from the station, instead he asked if it would be alright if he filled out the form before he left.

"Of course," Blaine said and got him a pen.

"Thanks" Kurt said again and then began to fill it out.

While Kurt was filling the application out Blaine told him that he would be back and left to go check on the dining area.

It didn't take Kurt too long to fill out the application and he had to wait for quite a while before Blaine came back. When he did finally come back he was looking flushed "We really do need some help around here" he stated taking the application from Kurt.

"Well I'd be more than happy to help if I got the job" Kurt stated.

Blaine nodded then he frowned down at the application in his hands "Do you have a resume to go with this?"

Kurt's composure faltered for a second and he let his smile fade as he shook his head "No I don't, sorry, I just moved here and I've been out scouting for a job all day. I gave all of my resumes out already and I don't have a printer at my new place yet."

Kurt knew they were sad excuses and he should probably just leave but then Blaine smiled at him.

"Sounds like you had a rough day" he stated.

"Uh it wasn't the greatest" Kurt admitted.

"Well I've been known for my good judge of character and since the manager had to leave after an emergency tonight, he left me in charge, so I'm going to take a change on you because you seem like a good guy" Blaine said.

Kurt's eyes widened "Oh wow, thanks."

"Just as long as you can start right away?" Blaine stated.

Kurt nodded "Okay," he said "just tell me what you need me to do and I'll get right on it."

Blaine laughed "Sorry," he said "I should have specified, when I said right away I meant tomorrow morning. We had two waiters who called in and said they wouldn't be able to take up their shifts tomorrow so we'll need the help."

Kurt blushed "Okay, I'll be here bright and early tomorrow, thanks again."

"No problem," Blaine said "we'll see you tomorrow for the start of your trial run, but for now I need to get back to work."

Kurt nodded and watched as the boy walked away, he turned around and left the restaurant.

When he got outside it had stopped raining.

Kurt took a deep breath and smiled, he couldn't believe his luck.

…

**A/N: **

**Okay so maybe I lied a bit when I said we wouldn't be seeing Blaine in this story but to be fair I didn't even know we would either until a few days ago, lol. **


End file.
